John Rothmeyer has a background in auto sales and real estate. He holds a B.A. in Business from Duwamish College in Qweets, Washington. After a brief stint in used auto sales and five successful but unsatisfying years in commercial real estate, Rothmeyer met Susan Hotchkiss, then a practicing CPA. Both avid gardeners, they decided to change the focus of their careers. They joined forces and founded the Company in 1982..
John Rothmeyer
'Our products and service are simply the best. That's been our guiding principle since Susan and I first opened our doors in March of 1982.' says Rothmeyer. 'We don't see any reason to change that.'
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company history
Future
The Company is looking ahead to new markets. New directions include high-altitude gardening, with development of cold-resistant strains of fruits and vegetables, an alpine soil-building kit, and a new super-solar greenhouse that makes the most of the short alpine growing season.
Another market with great potential is container gardening products for city environments, with light-weight containers, feather-light soilless potting mix, and new strains of pollution-resistant plants.
Hotchkiss
Susan Hotchkiss studied Accounting with a minor in landscape architecture at Platt College in Hubcap, Michigan). She moved to California and passed her CPA exam in 1980. While developing an accounting practice, she pursued her interests in gardening, specializing in arid-climate plants. Hotchkiss met John Rothmeyer at the Greater Surimi Garden Club in late 1981. They identified shared interests and began discussing a possible joint enterprise.
Susan Hotchkiss
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'Everybody should be able to garden, no matter where they live. We try to offer the best garden products to help gardeners in challenging environments,'enging environments,',',''' environments,'nments,' says Susan. 'With John's sensitivity to the wet-climate gardener and my experience with arid-climate plants, we were able to select unusual but useful products to start our mail-order business.' y
company history
Northwest Best CompanyProducts
Company History
In 1982 entrepreneurs John Rothmeyer and Susan Hotchkiss decided to start a mail-order business. They started by marketing a line of garden products, and they called their company Northwest Best. The business grew rapidly, earning $75,000 the first year and $150,000 the second.
In 1984 the Company expanded to include David Marchbanks, who now handles marketing and new product research. By 1984 the Company employed a staff of 60 engaged in product development and catalog sales. Its numbers hold steady at about 75 employees today.............
Present
The Company experienced a slight downturn in 1985 when two major suppliers went out of business. Alternative sources were found, however, and the Company now makes it a policy to avoid sole-source products.
In 1987 the Company won American National Design Association's 'Product of the Year' award for its innovative line of designer garden drainage tools. These products assist the rainy-climate gardener to compensate for poorly draining or boggy soil.
Marchbanks
David Marchbanks holds a B.A. in Public Administration from North Central Montana State College and an MBA from the University of Washington. After several years administering a grants program for small businesses, Marchbanks took up bonsai for relaxation. He met Rothmeyer and Hotchkiss in 1984 at an amateur bonsai show. He assumed the Company's marketing duties and now manages a staff of 5 in research and marketing.cts research.oducts research.eting and new products research.ch.David Marchbanks holds a B.A. in Public Administration from North Central Montana State College and an MBA from the University of Washington. After several years administering a grants program for small businesses, Marchbanks took up bonsai for relaxation. He met Rothmeyer and Hotchkiss in 1984 at the annual Acer Species Foundation amateur bonsai show. He began taking on some of the Company's marketing duties and now manages a staff of 5 doing marketing and new products research.
David Marchbanks
'Northwest Best is a great environment for pursuing challenging new ideas such as our new line of products for urban gardeners.'ce to do it. We're researching new kinds of plants and planting systems that make a satisfying garden possible for people who otherwise couldn't have one. Northwest Best is a great environment for pursuing challenging new ideas like this.'
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